Life On A B-I7

# 113

All good thru-hikers have a trail name. I’m not exactly a thru-hiker (maybe a thru-cyclist) even though I haven’t done the AT or the PCT, I’ve done other “thru” like things. I’m going to say that gives me an excuse to adopt a trail name for myself… My friend Terry would probably call me “Postman.” I like that, but the meaning is a bit obtuse (except of course for Terry and me). The truth of the matter is, that you have to be given your trail name by someone else. I haven’t been granted that privilege yet…

I’ll go with “Postman” for now, but I’m leaning toward “B-Rad.”

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# 112

My favorite work of art is Albrecht Durer’s Melencolia I. This was the first piece of art to explore perspective visually. It illustrates clearly that what we see is relative to where we stand. All knowledge is gained by altering our perspective. I find this notion uplifting.

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# 111

What Dante did not realize (or did he?) when he was describing his journey through Purgatory and Hell to reach Heaven was that he was also describing the journey through a Black Hole to reach a White Hole.

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# 110

My Mantra:

Shins on boot tongues

Knees over toes

Edge - to flat - to edge

Chin over the turning ski

Pressure downhill

Turning ski, turning arm

Elbows in front of the body

Shoulders back

The letter “C” is your friend

That’s a lot to remember, but probably the biggest tip of all is to roll from edge to flat to edge. You are only flat momentarily when the skis are perpendicular to the hill. One way to help get on the edge of the turning ski (the new downhill ski) is to remove weight from the free ski at the same time forward pressure is applied to the new turning ski… or just pretend you’re a stork… riding a horse…

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# 109

Stress and the circumstances that cause stress are transitory. To recognize that is to give yourself the tools you need to move through the moment. Problems aren’t truly problems, they are just moments that we have difficulty seeing through.

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# 108

I admit that writing for me is a compulsion. I hope that it is a good compulsion. It feels good…

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# 107

History should never look back and say “We need to return to ‘x’ state of affairs.” History, if it asks any question of the past, should ask what the past moment tells us about where we need to go.

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# 106

We are all Americans. Our country is not the total of all individual wants and desires. Our country should be the sum of what is best for everyone.

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# 105

Looking back, if I could have pursued any career, I would have chosen to be a historian. I can’t think of any work more rewarding. That’s saying something because the work that I did was very satisfying.

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# 104

When you look into the sky and you see your path, don’t ignore it. Your path is written everywhere you look, all you need to do is open your eyes.

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# 103

Occasionally we unexpectedly catch sight of something essential about ourselves. We need to be open to allowing that to happen. When it does, we need to be open to incorporating that revelation.

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# 102

Most people don’t concern themselves with self-expression beyond their normal daily pursuits. That’s a shame. Society would be better if more people pursued self-expression for the purpose of becoming a better person.

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# 101

Rather than ask yourself “What am I seeking,” try envisioning “Who would I be if I weren’t seeking anything…”

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# 100

My cat notices immediately when I play Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” He may be more culturally evolved than I am. Even though that is likely the case, he still loves me. When I leave he sits by the door waiting for my return. I don’t know anyone else who does that.

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# 99

I got a call from someone in Florida, out of the blue. He fed me dinner four years ago when I was cycling across the country. He wants to meet again next year… I suppose there is no greater compliment than that…

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# 98

What exactly is it about skiing that liberates me? It’s about the power of now. Few things both force you and allow you to be in the moment quite like skiing. Focusing deeply on the moment, on each turn, is a way of allowing you to see into the infinite. It extends the moment and allows you to be one with something larger than yourself. Unless it’s icy.

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# 97

I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Of course, I should say more than that… It isn’t easy to list the names of all the people I love and those who have been an important part of my life. This will have to suffice.

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# 96

I don’t know what tomorrow holds. No matter how hard I try to predict the answer, there is no guarantee. That is the challenge. That is the joy.

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# 95

Does anyone truly know us? It is difficult to answer that in the affirmative, largely because we are always evolving, even if we don’t realize it. The challenge is to hold on to those things and people that ground us even as our evolution proceeds.

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# 94

We are all just doing the best that we can. Very little separates us from the one percent or the homeless. Who is to say what that difference is? A man got on the bus and began to play his guitar. Is he better than I am, or am I better? The question itself is nonsense.

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# 93

Everyone should have a place of their own. A place they can retreat to, a place to call their own, a place that allows them to replenish, refresh, and ultimately grow into the person they need to be. Find that place.

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# 92

God does not play dice with the universe, but that does not mean he’s opposed to rearranging things just a bit if he reads a good paper on theoretical physics…

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# 91

The beginning is the hardest step. Before taking the first step, it behooves us to consider where we are going, even though the precise destination may be unknown. That said, never let a lack of a precise destination deter us.

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# 90

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger… is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
—Albert Einstein

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# 89

The secret to life is to live long and ski. Cycling is not too bad either.

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